Double Identity
by Arion
Summary: The long awaited SEQUEL TO PREDATOR. *Important Announcement to All Readers*
1. Letter to Readers

_Dear Readers,_

_Well here it is! Hai, I'm actually posting the first part to the long awaited sequel to Predator. To those of you who are new to this fic, I strongly suggest that you read Predator before proceeding; otherwise you will be very confused and will not understand parts of the story. To those who **have read Predator, welcome back! I hope you like Double Identity as much as you liked it, and that it lives up to Predator's legacy.**_

_Also note, that I'm not sure if I'm happy with how I wrote this and may decide to take it down for a rewrite in the future. However, do review and tell me your opinion, I do listen to my readers, whether you believe it or not!!_

_Anyhow, I would like to welcome you to a world of chaos, where a human life is valued for not much more than a penny found in the street…_

_~Arion  _


	2. Prologue

_Prologue_

_Bleep. Bleep. Bleep. BLEEP!  _

Heero Yuy's computer cried without stopping, not liking being ignored. After a few moments the pilot awoke from the deep and tormenting sleep in his small room in the living quarters of the base, realizing that for the first time he had ignored his laptop. With a groan, he stood and stumbled to the desk where his laptop sat, wiping the cold sweat off of his forehead with the back of his arm, he flicked on the computer. 

The image on the screen flickered and focused, revealing the face of Dr. J.

"What took so long, 01?" he inquired, displeased. 

Heero grumbled something in return and the scientist frowned, noting that the pilot had been off more than usual lately. 

"Report to the office 0401 immediately, along with the other pilots" he told Heero and the screen went blank. 

Heero glanced at the clock in the bottom right hand corner of the screen and sighed, noticing it was 1:04 AM. After grabbing a shirt from the closet he headed out into the dimly lit hall.

The five pilots stood in the elevator as it descended. Heero, standing at the front of the group stared directly in front of himself, ignoring the fact that Duo was snoring in the corner and Wufei was ready to chop off his brain since the American decided to use him for a pillow. 

The elevator smoothly came to a stop and with a soft ding the doors opened and the pilots stepped out, Duo screaming protests when Wufei had dragged him out by his hair.  

Office 0401 was the fourth door on the right and Heero pushed it open and entered, followed by the others. Dr. J was seated on a dark leather couch opposite the wall and gestured to a couch to the left of the door for them to take a seat. 

"What's up, Doc?" Duo yawned and flopped down on the couch between Heero and Quatre. 

"I have a new mission for you," Dr. J replied, giving Duo a displeased look, "It is very important that none of this leaves the walls of this room"

"Of course," Quatre nodded, seeming not one bit bothered by the fact that it was the middle of the night.    

Dr. J pressed a button on the arm of his couch and the lights dimmed, a single flat screen on the wall being practically the only thing lighting up the room. A newspaper article appeared, the headline read 'Deadly Serial Killer Anonymously Turned It'. After a few moments the picture changed showing a different article, this one read, 'Underground Police Unit or Good Samaritan(s)?'. As the pilots watched silently, that article was replaced by a video clip of an evening reportage.

"And they strike again. Another gang that had been terrorizing a peaceful neighborhood on the outskirts of Los Angeles had been found bound and gagged in a police warehouse. It is believed that this is the work of the group of rebels that had come to be known as the Avengers, is responsible. This would be the fourth incident this week, and so far neither the police nor the Preventers have any information on the identities or number of these rebels." The clip ended and was replaced by another article.

"Criminals have been literally showing up on the Preventers' doorsteps, whole gangs caught and their headquarters exposed, even as simple as old ladies mysteriously getting their stolen purses back and as far as whole operations mysteriously going from wrong to right," Dr. J spoke as the articled continued changing, their supply seemed endless, "And the list goes on,"

"When did this begin?" Trowa spoke up for the first time that night.

"Just a few weeks ago," the scientist replied.

"So you want us to go to LA and hunt down these so called, rebels."

The balding man looked up at Heero who had spoken, his tone more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. They can be valuable allies or equally costly enemies."

"Why would they be enemies if they're helping to clean up Los Angeles?" This time it was Duo who had spoken; he was now awake and alert.

"It can be a way to get the public under their control," Dr. J replied, "Or a part of some other plan they have up their sleeve. Either way, it's important we find who they are and what they're capable of. You leave for LA tomorrow."

*          *          *

Heero stared up at the plain white ceiling of his room. Sleep wasn't coming back to him that night, but in a way he was glad. There was nothing but nightmares for him anyway. But they felt so real, so unbelievably real. And every time they showed a new horror, each worse than the previous. 

He rolled over onto his side and his arm swiped the night table next to his bed; a small piece of thick paper fluttered to the ground. He leaned over and picked it up, glancing at it. Illuminated in the silvery moonlight was the photograph of him and Trin that Duo had taken at the beach. He was angry then, but he was glad Duo had done it. It was his only visual memory of her. His fingers ran over the girl's face gently. 

He was still so confused. Ever since she disappeared it was like there was a big hole in him that would never be filled again; almost the same as when Relena had died. But strangely, the hole in him that was made by Relena's death was still there, and it never vanished, not even when Trin was around. 

Anger flowed through is veins and his eyes flashed. He didn't want to be confused anymore, why couldn't he just figure it out? Dr. J was right, he would be so much better off without emotions. 

His hand shook, wanting to crumble the picture. But he couldn't. 

'Why did she leave?' 

His feelings had formed into an actual thought, and he fought angrily trying to push it away. He didn't care if she left, he tried to convince himself. She had a few options and she had made a choice. It was her decision, her life, and it didn't effect him. But it did. Painfully, it did.   

Pulling open the drawer of the night table, he dropped the picture inside and slammed the drawer shut. Invisible to him, the picture fell to the bottom and landed on top of another picture, covering it half way. The picture was of a brunette in a pink business suit, Relena. The two girls' faces pictured on pieces of paper, lay side by side in the drawer of the Wing Zero pilot. Relena and Trinity, both parts of his past. Neither a part of the present. 

_A/N:     Well, that's the Prologue. I know I took forever with this, and I apologize once more. Tell me what you think, onegai?_

_~Arion_


	3. Chapter 1

                It is one year after the Trinity/Acire Incident. Battles are beginning to arise once more and the pilots are in the center of it all. However, they are taken out of battle by Dr. J and sent to Los Angeles to look for the mysterious 'rebels' that had been cleaning up the streets. 

The alarm siren wailed - the security system had been tripped. The two men, both dressed equally in black, ran out of the back door of the jewelry shop; both carried backpacks filled with stolen jewels. It hadn't taken them long to run through the alley, around some buildings and come out on the opposite side of the street from the jewelry store. They watched the police cars speed by from the safety of a dumpster and grinned, thinking they were home free. Turning to run, however, they came across an unexpected obstacle. The obstacle was a tall shadow, blocking their way. 

"Hey, move aside," the taller of the men growled and the shadow chuckled, the face hidden in the darkness. Four more shadows detached from the building's wall and joined the first one. 

"I think I told you to _move!" the man reached out to shove the silhouette aside, but the person was too quick for him. His arm was grabbed and twisted painfully behind his back, he was then shoved into the dirt, his hands immediately being tied and a blindfold pulled over his face. By a thud accompanied with a groan, he knew his partner had undergone the same fate. _

*

"No sir, no leads so far," the officer spoke tiredly into his walkie-talkie. As he stepped out onto the front steps of the police station he froze. Two men, tied up, with blindfolds placed over their eyes, sat on the steps. Two backpacks laid before them with a short message written in spray paint on the front.

'Robbers of Bill's Jewels. The merchandise is inside'

"What the hell…" 

*          *          *

"So this is LA, huh?" Duo Maxwell's voice sighed over the intercom as they soared over nighttime Los Angeles, masqueraded by the clouds. There was no amusement, no excitement in his voice, it was plain blank. In response, Wing Zero began descending, the other gundams following its lead. 

The roof of a large warehouse opened and side-by-side they landed.

_A/N:     Short, I know, I know. What happened was, it didn't fit with either the Prologue or the next chapter, so it became a lil mini chappy all on its own. *sweatdrop* Don't worry, the next chapter is almost done and is much longer. Consider this a teaser._

_~Arion _


	4. Inferno

_Chapter Two: Inferno _

Duo wandered down the night street of the silent Los Angles suburb. He yawned and sighed, he had been assigned the first shift; how boring. 

'I would've thought there would be more excitement than this in LA' he thought gloomily as he continued to drag his feet tiredly. Stopping near a streetlight he squinted at his watch in the darkness. 1:34 AM. He groaned. What sane person would be out on the street of Los Angeles in the middle of the night? What sane person would be out on _any street at such hour? _

Grumbling, he crossed the street and continued to walk, blind to where or what was going on around him. He only noticed his surroundings when a strange thought occurred to him. It was pitch black. 

Stopping, Duo looked around warily. The streetlights were no longer around, and he had obviously stumbled out of the suburbs onto the very outskirts of the city. A tall dark structure loomed far ahead of him, surrounded by a tall fence. Fifty feet, at least, he thought sizing it up with his eyes. There were no lights illuminating the place, no sound reached his now fully alert ears. A creepy feeling crept up the American's spine making the hairs on the back of his neck rise in alarm. Not hesitating a moment, he ran soundlessly toward the building, looking over his shoulder every couple of steps. 

In a few moments he reached the fence and was pleased to see he had been right in estimating its' size. He was just about to begin his ascent when a loud explosion erupted through the quiet night. A wave of burning hot air knocked him off his feet, sending his sprawling onto his back in the dirt. 

Upon hitting the ground, Duo's eyes darted through the fence and across the field to the now engulfed in flames building. Crimson flames rose up to the night sky, crushing the stone walls with ease. 

Jumping to his feet, he was just in time to see a silver mobile suit escape through the crumbling ceiling amidst another explosion. The machine spun in the air before straightening and beginning to speed away. Not two seconds later, a second suit exited in a similar fashion, following the first. 

Not wasting a millisecond, Duo grabbed a cell phone out of his jacket pocket and speed-dialed the headquarters. 

"What is it Duo?" Trowa's calm voice drifted over the line. "Did you find something?"

"Yeah, there was an explosion seemingly caused by two mobile suits," he reported rapidly keeping his eye on the spark of light in the sky.  
            "What type of MS?"

"I'm not sure. One looked like a regular Taurus, but the second looked like a highly modified Aries," 

"What's your location? Heero's on his way."

Scratching his head, Duo looked around in panic. He didn't have the slightest idea at where he was, and he wasn't thrilled to admit that he had let himself wander without paying attention to his surroundings. If nothing had happened, he would have found his way back and none of the others would ever have to know, but with this recent incident, that option was no longer available.

"I'm not sure.." 

Trowa sighed with exasperation. Typical Duo.

 "Stay on the line, I'll trace you."

Doing as told, the American stood, phone in hand, waiting for a confirmation that they had figured out his position. In a few moments, his answer came when he saw Wing Zero soaring in his direction. There was a click in the phone and Heero's voice appeared in his ear. 

"Which way were the mobile suits heading?" he inquired harshly. 

"South." Duo replied and with another click the line went dead. 

*          *          *

Wing Zero's back jets kicked into full power as Heero guided his gundam over the burning remains of the mobile suit factory in his pursuit of the two mobile suits Duo had reported. 

In several brief moments the said mobile suits appeared in his line of vision and with a click of a button he had zoomed in on both on his screen. The first was a regular Taurus just like Duo had said, but the second, was unlike anything he had seen. It was definitely Aries based, but other than the shape of its' body, the Aries in it was hardly recognizable. Some of the better parts on it he recognized to be from other mobile suits of, but heavily altered. 

His eyes narrowed as he continued to scrutinize the machine. Whoever had worked on it, had done one hell of a job, he thought silently. They had taken the good parts off of numerous mobile suit models, combining it into one. 

The pilot must have spotted its predator, the engines of the mobile suit switched gears, giving the suit somewhat more power to therefore achieve higher speeds. Doing the same, Heero easily maintained his pursuit; however modified, simple mobile suits were no match for his Wing Zero.

            He heard a beep, and a brief message ran over one of his visual screens.

**_'GIVE  IT UP.' _**

"_What?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing as they ran over the text. With fury, he reached over and hit the intercom button, the computer automatically connecting with the unidentified mobile suit. _

"Who are you?" he snapped, and yet received no answer. The mobile suit maintained the escape, its speed unchanging.

 "_Answer me, don't be a __coward." Heero snarled, his fist slamming into the control panel. _

A moment passed, and the intercom screen flickered with static for several seconds before clearing. A figure dressed in full black, materialized and glared at him through the single two slits in its black mask.  

"You are makin' a mistake." The person's voice was digitally distorted and impossible to tell whether the person was male or female. 

"Who the hell are you?" he repeated, his patience growing thin as he slammed on the controls and brought Zero in an orbit to in front of the mobile suit. "Answer or I open fire."

"We are on the same side, idiot." The shadow snapped. "That was an arisin' OZ base."

 "What!" 

"Yeah, 'what' is right. Now get the hell out of my way." 

"You are not going _anywhere." _

"Wanna bet?" 

The mobile suit's outer shell shifted, double machine guns sliding out of the side panels in its' arms and aiming directly at Wing Zero. 

Heero's right hand darted to the side control panel immediately, strengthening the gundam's armor and not moving an inch. 

"Fine." The mobile suit's pilot scowled. "Have it your way." The machine guns raised and showered the gundam. 

Heero smirked, easily avoiding the bullets. He turned just in time to see panels rise in his opponent's suit's shoulders and before he could blink, it fired double missiles straight in his direction. 

            He cursed and twisted the controls, just barely missing the first missile and loosing stability began falling toward the ground. Gripping the controls tightly, he turned the gundam, just barely regaining control before he slammed into the ground. The second missile exploded directly underneath him, giving Zero a slight boost as it soared once more. 

            Once back in the air, Heero's eyes swept over the scanners, but the anonymous suit did not show up on any of them.

_A/N:     **Finally! I was afraid I wouldn't get this chapter up before I left for **__Florida__ on Saturday. ^^; Hope ya liked it. I don't have time to write anythin' else, I'm in school and the class is almost over. Review and tell me what you think and I'll try to write while I'm tannin' on the beach or somethin'. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all!_

_~Arion  _


	5. To My Readers

_            Dear Readers,_

_Well, you're probably goin' to kill me for this, but just let me explain. I haven't updated this story is the longest time, and I finally I figured out why. Every time I'd sit down to work on the sequel, I'd think about the original and can't help but wince and how badly it's written. Anyway, I can't bring myself to work on "Double Identity" 'till I re-write "Predator". Don't waste your time tellin' me it's unnecessary, 'cause I won't listen. I don't think the storyline will change, but then you never know with me. ^^; The way I'm gonna do it, is gradually replace the old chapters with new content, so check back at least once a week. After all, re-writing is a lot easier than simple writing and shouldn't take me very long. *sweatdrop* Knock on wood._

_  Once again, my apologies to all of you and I will keep you updated with e-mails as usual. For those of you who've been readin' "Eraser", don't worry, this will not affect its' progress._

_Truly sorry,_

_~Arion_  


End file.
